


A Little Conversation

by jolimelon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adashi mentions, Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Gen, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Siblings, Light Angst, One Shot, POV Third Person, Post Season 7, Present Tense, Seriously this is not a ship fic so please don't read it if that's what you are seeking, broganes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 18:18:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17228855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolimelon/pseuds/jolimelon
Summary: While the paladins rest in their hospital wings, Shiro takes some time out to talk with Keith about a variety of things- including Adam's death.





	A Little Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> So I'd just like to reiterate really, really, very strongly (I can not stress this enough), that this is **not** a ship fic, so please respect that and don't try to make it something that it isn't. Thank you. 
> 
> This is a canon-compliant oneshot taking place directly after season seven.
> 
> I'd also like to mention that this is my first time writing in the present tense and it was super scary but I think I kinda got the hang of it by the end. I hope you guys like it and excuse any mistakes cause I'm sure there are a ton of them in there.

The sun is bright, bordering on blinding as it trickles in through the opened windows, and beams brightly on Keith, who is still resting in the bed of his hospital wing. It's still in the early hours of the afternoon, yet the world seems to be at a silent standstill, with hardly a sound to be heard. 

Shiro stands just outside the door, enough to not be seen just yet, but cautiously positioned where he can still catch a good glimpse of Keith who remains unknowing of his presence. 

He can't help but think to himself just how much Keith has grown over the years. When he first met him, he was just a chubby-cheeked preadolescent child with a disiplinary issue who he decided to take a chance on mentoring. Never could Shiro have imagined, years later, all of the trials and tribulations that he would face side-by-side with that very child as he grew up to be the man that he is today. 

Shiro is proud, no doubt, that Keith has grown so much over the years, and he is more than proud to call him his very own family.

Eventually, Shiro grows restless of standing for so long and peers his head around the corner of the door, tapping the knuckles of his fingers gently against the frame as he does so. 

"Hey, mind if I come in?" he asks. 

By then, Keiths attention has been diverted to the man and he seems surprised, albeit happy, to see him. 

"Go ahead," he replies. 

Shiro takes his cue to enter the room, and beelines straight for the chair sitting alongside Keith's bed, mostly commonly occupied by Krolia or Kolivan, who appear to have stepped out for a moment. Kosmo, on the contrary, has not left Keith's side, and remains curled up at the foot of his bed. 

Shiro grunts quietly as he takes seat in the chair, his body still sore from the harsh battles they've just been faced with not even twenty-four hours previously. 

"Shouldn't you be resting too now?" asks Keith, having taken notice of the quiet struggle. 

"After these past few years, I think I might totally seize up if I sit for any longer than fifteen minutes." Shiro replies, and though he intends such in a joking manner, Keith still shoots him a look of concern that causes him to sigh in defeat and add, "Really, I'm fine. I'm not doing anything strenuous, and I wanted to come check up on you." 

"I feel fine, too." Keith is quick to answer. 

"How's your head doing?" asks Shiro as he points to the bandages wrapped tightly throughout Keith's fringe. 

Keith briefly brushes the tips of his fingers across the bandage, as if he himself has already forgotten that it was there to begin with. "It's intact," is his curt response. 

"I'm glad that you're okay." Shiro replies, even if Keith's short reply doesn't satisfy him. 

Keith smiles then, though it's fleeting and half-hearted. They've all been through a lot, after all. "I'm glad you are too." 

The conversation attracts Kosmo's attention at this point, and he has perched his head up to gaze at Keith's new guest, though his guard drops once he is comforted by the sight of Shiro. Shiro smiles, his fingers brushing delicately through the creatures thick tufts of fur. Surprisingly, he is rather soft. 

"I really wanted to make sure that I took the time out to come by and thank you," Shiro speaks again, this time causing Keith to raise an eyebrow. 

"For what?" 

"Just about everything," Shiro laughs, "These past few years, you've always had my back, and saved me from countless messes, and just... You've done so much. I really appreciate it more than I could ever put into words." 

Keith smiles again, this time genuinely and for good. "That's what brothers are for, right?" 

"Yeah," Shiro hums in agreement, his smile growing to match Keith's, "I just got super lucky, huh?"

Without prompt, Shiro leans inward and wraps his arms delicately around Keith's shoulders, careful so that his grip is not tight enough to cause harm. Keith is quick to reciprocate the gesture, his hands gently resting on the taller man's back. It's a hug both comforting and warm, and though the two have never been shy to show their familial affection toward one another, the gesture never loses it's meaning either. It feels as safe as it always has, as if the rest of the world has fallen silent and no danger remains. 

"I heard about Adam," Keith speaks up, and there's hesitance in his tone. He can feel as Shiro's body physically tenses, and then forcefully eases up. "I don't know what to say except... I'm so sorry, Shiro." 

Shiro eases his grip on Keith, sliding out of the hug with ease, and back into his chair with a quiet thud. He appreciates Keith's condolences, but ultimately, doesn't know how to reply. He's still processing the news himself. 

"You haven't talked to anybody else about it, have you?" asks Keith. He's met with silence again. 

Aside from looking at Adam's name etched onto a memorial plaque, Shiro really hasn't taken the time to really think about him. In the heat of battle, he had no choice but the shove the death of the man into the back corners of his mind, but now that the world was met with a temporary peace once more, he doesn't know how he would even begin to process the news. 

"Have you even given yourself five minutes to... I don't know, cry or something?" Keith continues to ask questions, and this time Shiro is quick to reply. 

"I don't want to cry, Keith." 

"You don't have to," says Keith with a sigh. He's never been good at these tough discussions but he's trying, and Shiro appreciates that. "You know what I mean." 

"Yeah, I get it," Shiro's tone eases and he smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry. I guess I just thought that... that..." 

Now, Shiro can't stop the image of Adam from flooding back into his mind like a dam has mentally burst. His voice and his scent were things that had faded from Shiro's memory long ago as the years cruelly passed him by, despite his best efforts to always remember. His face eventually become a distorted image as well, but the photograph of him on the memorial plaque brought it back clear as day. Along with it came a bundle of memories that Shiro hadn't had the time to think about in- lord knew how many years. 

Yet, these memories had been things that had comforted Shiro many times in the past. Even after his break up with Adam, he could fondly reminisce on the good years that he had spent with the man. It helped him through his time as the galra's prisoner, and even beyond that. The only time he no longer thought of Adam was when he no longer had the head space to do so- when things became so impossibly overloaded with constant war and drama that he had no time to think of anything else. 

Adam had been such a big part of his life before everything went to absolute hell. Despite their unfortunate departure, he had still loved him. How could he not? He had been his boyfriend of many years, and his husband-to-be. And now he was gone. Taken far too soon by a world much too cruel. 

"... You thought that maybe he'd be here when you came back?" Keith eventually finishes Shiro's sentence, despite some initial hesitance. 

Shiro nods his head, a gesture both slow and forlorn. He can feel a certain stinging in his eyes, but no tears surface. He's spent too many years holding back, and even if he wanted to cry, he doesn't know if he even has the ability to do so anymore. 

"I couldn't have imagined that something so awful happened to him while I was gone. I know we broke up, but I still cared about him." Shiro's tone is faintly shaky as he speaks, though it is so subtle that it could only be noticed by somebody who knows him as well as Keith does. 

"I know," Keith mumbles, not really sure what to say next. He's trying his best to make his tone calm and supportive, and it's working well. "He still loved you, too. He was never really the same after everyone was saying that you died on Kerberos." 

Shiro swallows back quietly, holding his breath as he becomes lost in thought once more. If only he could have seen Adam, even briefly, when he had first crash landed on earth after his escape from space. He knew it wasn't possible at the time, despite the thought having occurred to him even then, but he still can't help being plagued with the lingering regrets of _'what if?'_

"I'm sorry, I know this isn't helping." Keith apologizes.

"No," Shiro is quick to reassure. "It's fine. Like you said, I should talk to somebody about it, and who better than you? It wasn't just me that lost him. You did, too." 

This time, Keith remains in quiet thought, and so, Shiro continues to speak. 

"He was an amazing guy. I'll never forget him, and I'm sure that you won't either. I wish fate had been a little kinder to us all, but I can't exactly dwell on feelings of regret forever." 

"No, you can't," says Keith, despite the agreement, he sounds as if he's starting a rebuttal. "But he'd want you to process this all in a healthy way. We all want you to." 

Shiro cocks an eyebrow, staring at Keith with a curious look. "Meaning?" 

Keith shrugs a shoulder casually. "Rest a little. Reflect a lot. Maybe even... seek out some therapy?" 

Both of Shiro's eyebrows shoot up at the final suggestion, though he seems to have not taken offense. It's not a bad idea by any means, though surprisingly not something that had ever occurred to him. "I guess that's something that we could all benefit from after all we've been through." 

"Right..." Keith mumbles, and then, his tone turns strong again as he continues to speak, "But you especially. I know that you're this strong hero type that everyone relies on all the time, to the point where you don't give yourself time to breathe or rest or mourn... and I can't imagine that it's been easy on you at all... So I just want to make sure that you're taking care of yourself, too." 

More than he can ever put into words, Shiro is extremely touched by Keith's concern. He's blessed, and he knows it well, to have a little brother that cares so much for him and his well being. Despite having been the one to check up on Keith, Shiro realizes that he is the one being comforted, and it causes him to let out a low, well-meaning laugh. 

"You're always looking out for me, huh?" 

Keith smirks, "I always will be. So make my job easier and take care of yourself." 

"I will, buddy. Thanks for the concern." 

With a delicate touch, Keith places his hand on Shiro's shoulder and gives him as soft a look as he can manage to. "He'd be really proud of everything you've accomplished, Shiro." 

These words almost feel as if they could become a breaking point for Shiro, but he still manages to resist against the ever-growing threat of tears that are now lining his bottom eyelid. His eyebrows are sunken deeply but he smiles regardless, and in a small voice he replies, "Thank you." 

Keith wraps his arm around Shiro's shoulder, the other arm meeting him along the way. They hug again for a moment, but this time it is tighter and neither wants to pull away. 

"He'd be so proud of you, too." mumbles Shiro again, causing Keith's grip to only tighten more. 

They're at a standstill for some time, and Shiro can't be sure if Keith is crying into his shoulder or not, but he feels a slight tremble as he holds him. They're both emotionally distraught for a million and one different reasons, yet for this very reason they can find a solace in each other that nobody else could possibly understand. There were still many words left unsaid for the fear of falling apart completely, but the time to speak those words would come soon enough. 

"I love you, buddy," Shiro mumbles softly, and though his mechanical hand gently rubs Keith's back in a soothing motion, he is unable to feel it. "I hope you heal up soon." 

Keith pulls away from the embrace with a meek smile, and he nods his head. "I love you, too. Now please go rest before I have to resort to force." 

Teasingly, Shiro pecks a brief kiss against Keith's forehead before he stands, his prosthetic arm raising with him. "Alright, alright. I will. No force necessary." 

He waves his hand but not before giving Kosmo a final scratch in parting. Keith can't help but let out a short laugh at this, but he's just as quick to wave Shiro off. 

"If I catch you out of bed-" Keith begins to scold, but before he can finish his sentence, he can feel Shiro's prosthetic hand wrap around his mouth despite the man already being halfway out the door. 

"Alright, alright! I'm going to go sleep now for a very, very long time!" Shiro laughs, retracting his hand. 

Even as he heads out the door, Shiro can hear Keith's laugh from the hallway and it's like a sweet chime to his ears. When was the last time that he had heard him sounding like a free-spirited child again? 

Even if the paladins were only able to rest for a short while until they nose-dived straight back into the war, Shiro was grateful for those few moments of escape, and above all else, he was grateful that he still had family that loved him dearly.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I hope y'all liked this!


End file.
